As the Broncos’ quarterback situation with Peyton Manning and Brock Osweiler takes center stage, Denver must also prepare to possibly face life without two of their defensive studs. Linebacker Danny Trevathan will test free agency and defensive end Malik Jackson is expected to dip his feet in the waters as well.

Both guys came in the league as late-round draft picks playing on low-paid rookie deals. Now, they have a Super Bowl ring with an eye to cash in with a big contract. They might be outside of the Broncos budget.

“One of those guys will end up with John Fox in Chicago. I’m pretty sure of that,” Joel Corry, a former agent and current salary cap expert for CBS Sports, said of Jackson and Trevathan.

Denver has expressed a strong interest in retaining Jackson, but they have to be prepared to replace him along with several other free agents that are likely to move on to other teams this offseason.

ESPN college football analyst Todd McShay has University of Indiana offensive tackle Jason Spriggs projected to the Broncos at No. 31 in his Mock Draft 3.0. Spriggs, 6-foot-7, 307 pounds, flew up most experts draft boards over the last few weeks due to his impressive athleticism and solidified it with a great performance at the NFL Combine. He ran a 4.94 40-yard dash and leaped a 9-foot-7-inch broad jump, both first among all offensive linemen. He also did 31 reps of 225 pounds on the bench press, fourth among offensive linemen.

Colorado defensive back Ken Crawley runs a drill at the NFL football scouting combine on Monday, Feb. 29, 2016, in Indianapolis. (Darron Cummings, The Associated Press)

Ken Crawley said he was going to show off his blazing speed at the NFL Combine and the University of Colorado cornerback didn’t disappoint Monday.

Crawley, 6-foot, 187 pounds, ran a 4.43 official 40-yard dash, sixth-best in his group of defensive backs and ninth-best among all defensive backs.

Upon hitting the field for the position drills, Crawley showed off good feet and hip movement in the “W” drill and wasn’t overwhelmed by the ball in gauntlet drills. He sported a 36.5-inch vertical jump good for eighth in his position group.

Crawley doesn’t lack for confidence either. He told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review last week that he held his own against the best receivers in the Pac-12 and he also feels he could cover Steelers receiver Antonio Brown.

Many draft experts had Crawley ranked as a late Day 3 selection or a priority undrafted free agent before his NFL Combine performance. His impressive day in Indianapolis should increase his chances of being drafted in the 2016 NFL Draft.

The senior cornerback was a four-year starter for the Buffaloes. He had 34 pass breakups and three interceptions during his career.

Crawley was one of three CU prospects invited to the Combine along with receiver Nelson Spruce and tackle Stephane Nembot.

Colorado State cornerback DeAndre Elliott ran a 4.55 40-yard dash, which won’t categorize him as a speedster. He also struggled a bit during the positional drills. Elliott, 6-1, 188 pounds, did show off his hops with a 41-inch vertical jump, second best among all defensive backs.

59 defensive backs (30 in group one, 29 in group two) were invited to the Combine, but not every player was a full participant.

Now the head coach in Oakland, Del Rio has another young but dominant edge rusher in Khalil Mack, who notoriously ran roughshod over the Broncos’ offensive line for five sacks of Brock Osweiler in a victory at Denver this past season.

But on Wednesday, the first day of the NFL scouting combine at Lucas Oil Stadium, Del Rio put Miller in an elite class following his postseason performance and Super Bowl MVP award.

“Everybody got to see Von a few weeks ago when he dominated the Super Bowl and won MVP. He’s a special talent. His ability to bend and his quickness off the edge is probably, maybe only Derrick Thomas had that burst and ‘bendability,'” Del Rio said. “Someone like that is special. Just a great impact player.”Read more…

Colorado State Rams wide receiver Rashard Higgins (82) warms up before the game against the UNLV Rebels at Sonny Lubick Field at Hughes Stadium on Nov. 14, 2015. (Andy Cross, The Denver Post)

Colorado edged Colorado State in the Rocky Mountain Showdown and again Thursday with NFL combine invites.

The Buffaloes will have three former players — wide receiver Nelson Spruce, cornerback Ken Crawley and offensive tackle Stephane Nembot representing their program Feb. 23-29 at the NFL combine in Indianapolis.

Higgins, the most notable of the five, is the Rams’ all-time leader in receptions (238), receiving yards (3,643) and (31) touchdowns. He was a two-time first-team all-Mountain West selection and a first-team All-America selection during his sophomore season. Higgins — 6-foot-2, 190 pounds — declared for the draft after his junior season.

Spruce — 6-1, 195 pounds — set the record for most receptions (294) in Pac-12 history. He finished his career with 3,347 receiving yards and 23 touchdowns.

Both are believed to be draftable players. Each of the five will have the chance to solidify their status in the minds of scouts and front-office executives at the combine.

Garrett Grayson throws during his pro day at CSU on Monday. (Jenny Sparks, Loveland Reporter-Herald)

Colorado State quarterback Garrett Grayson, whom many NFL analysts have rated among the top five QB prospects in this year’s draft, worked out for 16 scouts from 12 NFL teams at CSU’s indoor practice facility on Monday during his pro day.

According to The Coloradoan’s Kelly Lyell, the Cleveland Browns and Green Bay Packers both had two scouts attending Grayson’s workout, while the Denver Broncos, Buffalo Bills, Cincinnati Bengals, Detroit Lions, Miami Dolphins, Minnesota Vikings, Oakland Raiders, New York Jets and St. Louis Rams also had scouts there.

Grayson, who didn’t participate in the NFL combine in Indianapolis last month because of an injured hamstring, completed 70 of 74 throws and, according to Lyell, posted unofficial 40-yard dash times of 4.72 and 4.76. Gray’s 40 times would have placed him seventh among quarterbacks at the combine; Marcus Mariota of Oregon posted a combine-best time of 4.52 among quarterbacks.

“There was some people out there that said I’d be lucky to run a 5-flat (40),” Grayson said. “I’m happy with what I ran. Like I said, quarterbacks don’t get paid to run 40s. I don’t know how many 40s Tom Brady has ran, but he’s won four Super Bowls.”

Forget Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota. The guy to watch at the 2015 NFL combine was Byron Jones, a cornerback out of the University of Connecticut.

Jones leaped 12 feet, 3 inches in the broad jump, an NFL combine record by an astounding eight inches. It is also believed to be a world record; Arne Tvervaag of Norway is said to have jumped 3.71 meters (12 feet, 2 inches) in 1968.

But Jones didn’t stop there. He came within a half-inch of tying the combine record in the vertical jump, with 44.5 inches. (Chris Conley of Georgia jumped 45 inches, tying the record set by Ohio State’s Donald Washington in 2009.)

Offensive tackle Ty Sambrailo was five Colorado State players invited to the 2015 NFL Combine. (Andy Cross, The Denver Post

Five Colorado State players were invited to the 2015 NFL Combine in Indianapolis, where they were put through four days of drills in front of pro coaches. Quarterback Garrett Grayson did not participate because he injured his hamstring, according to USA Today Sports. Here are the final results of the four who did participate.

Aaron Davis, OLB

Garrett Grayson, QB

Dee Hart, RB

Jared Roberts, K

Tyler Sambrailo, OT

40-yd. dash

4.95 sec.

—

4.80 sec.

—

5.36 sec.

Bench press

16 reps

—

—

23 reps

Vertical jump

29.0 in.

—

33.0 in.

29.0 in.

Broad jump

107.0 in.

—

113.0 in.

—

97.0 in.

3-cone drill

7.38 sec.

—

7.20 sec.

—

7.54 sec. (5)

20-yd. shuttle

4.37 sec.

—

4.38 sec.

—

4.58 sec.

60-yd. shuttle

12.01 sec.

—

—

—

—

GRADE

5.18

5.37

5.02

4.77

5.55

(#) Positional ranking

The combine’s grading system explained:

No grade: Likely needs time in developmental league.4.50-4.74: Chance to be in an NFL training camp4.75-4.99: Should be in an NFL training camp5.00: 50-50 Chance to make NFL roster5.01-5.19: Better-than-average chance to make NFL roster5.20-5.49: NFL backup or special teams potential5.50-5.99: Chance to become NFL starter6.00-6.49: Should become instant starter6.50-6.99: Chance to become Pro Bowl-caliber player7.00-7.49: Pro Bowl-caliber player

Broncos general manager John Elway admits the NFL combine is a much bigger deal than when he entered the draft. He didn’t attend a regional combine, but was darn close. (John Leyba, Denver Post file)

INDIANAPOLIS — Nothing creates buzz at the NFL combine like quarterbacks. Their workouts become the sporting equivalent of the Westminster Kennel Club dog show. Every movement is scrutinized. Every wrinkle examined, every mood analyzed.

INDIANAPOLIS — Michael Pennel needed a tough lesson for his maturity to catch up to his 6-foot-5, 332-pound body.

Growing up in Denver and attending Grandview High School, Pennel took a few more detours to the NFL scouting combine than the other 335 participants. He first attended Scottsdale (Ariz.) Community College, then Arizona State. When a Twitter rant got him suspended, Pennel transferred to Division II Colorado State University-Pueblo.

“I’ve taken many pieces from each stop to be the man I am today,” Pennel said Saturday during his combine press gathering. “Being in junior college where you don’t get the free equipment and you’re taking 14-hour bus rides and you’re eating pizzas every night.

“And getting the taste of the Division I life where you’re getting a stipend and you’re getting all the meals and you see different egos in that situation.

“And coming back down to CSU-Pueblo, I’m really glad I did that because it humbled me.”

INDIANAPOLIS — Now that he’s addressed the media here, Manti Te’o the Punchline can pretty much become Manti Te’o the NFL middle linebacker prospect.

The Broncos have Te’o on their interview schedule on Sunday night. They figure to ask about, but not dwell on, his internet relationship hoax that became the hot conversation around the nation’s coffee machines.

“Having been in that role — I don’t get caught up in everything swirling around him,” Broncos football operations boss John Elway said at his combine press conference Friday. “I’m looking forward to sitting down and talk to him. He’s a very good football player and he’s going to have a successful career in the NFL.’’

Collin Klein, Kansas State quarterback and Loveland High School graduate, trains through a mock combine at the Family Sports Center on February 8, 2013, in Centennial.

INDIANAPOLIS — NFL.com reported that former Kansas State and Loveland High School quarterback Collin Klein would perform tight end drills during the scouting combine Sunday. The report has since been amended to say Klein will be invited to participate in the tight end drills but it’s unclear whether he will accept.

According to Klein’s agent Peter Schaffer, his client is a quarterback who will not be lining up as a tight end.

INDIANAPOLIS — Back in 2008, Darrell Scott was one of the biggest names in the college football recruiting world, and he made a major splash when he chose to sign with Colorado.

Scott’s tenure in Boulder lasted only two seasons before he transferred to the University of South Florida. Now’s he’s hoping to land a job in the NFL. He said he feels like he’s more “under the radar” now than when he was going through the college recruiting process.

“Some teams are showing a lot of interest, so that’s reassuring,” Scott said.

My colleague Jeff Legwold was out hustling through the Colorado State Pro Day today when he came across word that the Broncos had just waived guard Mitch Erickson, who had spent the past two seasons on Denver’s practice squad.

Just talked to Erickson’s agent, Tom Mills, and he said the Broncos were fair in that because they are going to a new blocking style that is more about power and brute strength, the team felt it was best for the former South Dakota State, and still promising guard to catch on elsewhere. Erickson is big at 6-5, but 286 pounds isn’t the Broncos’ kind of blocker anymore. Only 300 pounds-plus need apply.

Legwold was going to attend the University of Colorado’s Pro Day but he received word their best NFL prospect, 6-3, 260-pound tight end Riar Geer wasn’t going to run. Geer decided to rest on his combine performance. He was second among tight ends in the 20-yard shuttle with a time of 4.29 seconds.

The CU player who most helped himself on Pro Day was cornerback Ben Burney, son of longtime former Broncos’ defensive line coach Jacob Burney. Ben Burney clocked a 4.38 seconds time in the 40.

Nicki Jhabvala is a Broncos beat writer for The Denver Post. She was previously the digital news editor for sports. Before arriving in Denver, she spent five years at Sports Illustrated working primarily as its online NBA editor. She also spent two years as a home page editor at the New York Times.